Arts and Entertainment

Things to Do at Penn State: Oct. 31-Nov. 7

A selection of cultural events happening at the University this weekend and next week

Penn State Centre Stage will present "A Little Night Music" from Nov. 5 to 15 at the Playhouse Theatre at the University Park campus. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn StateCreative Commons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — What's happening at Penn State? Here's a look at some of the cultural events taking place at the University this weekend and next week:

Performances

"The Importance of Being Earnest" — Oct. 30-Nov. 2, SEC Building, Penn State Harrisburg. Penn State Harrisburg's School of Humanities presents one of Oscar Wilde's most renowned comedies.

"Chimpin' the Blues" 5 p.m., Nov. 1, Foster Auditorium, Paterno Library, University Park campus. Jerry Zolten and Robert Crumb will replicate an original "Chimpin' the Blues" session. The duo will spin original, rare 78 RPM vinyl records, amplifying the sound and projecting the label images as they discuss and nitpick about the music and turn the show into a one-of-a-kind experience. Free.

"Blue Bandorama"4 p.m., Nov. 2, Bryce Jordan Center, University Park campus. The Penn State Blue Band will showcase traditional Penn State songs as well as music from this season's halftime show.

"Magic Tree House: Showtime with Shakespeare"4 p.m., Nov. 3, Eisenhower Auditorium, University Park campus. "Showtime with Shakespeare" is a new theatrical production based on the Magic Tree House adventure "Stage Fright on a Summer Night."

Silkroad Ensemble 7:30 p.m., Nov. 5, Eisenhower Auditorium, University Park campus. Founded by famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma, the Silkroad Ensemble will feature works by Osvaldo Golijov, Jason Moran and compositions by Silkroad artists.

"A Little Night Music" Nov. 5-15, Playhouse Theatre, University Park campus. Penn Stage Centre Stage presents the Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler musical set at the turn of the last century.

"A Midsummer Night's Dream"7 p.m., Nov. 7, Eisenhower Auditorium, University Park campus. The American Shakespeare Company presents the Shakespeare classic set in a magical bayou with original music drawing inspiration from bluegrass to bebop to barbershop. Free.

 

Events

Café Laura Theme Dinner: "First Class Cuisine: Memories from Luxury Liners" — Oct. 31, Mateer Building, University Park campus. Students in HM 430 Advanced Food Production and Service Management prepare a series of themed dinners throughout the semester to be served in the student-run Cafe Laura restaurant. Reservations required.

Palmer Museum of Art Halloween Spectacular 6-8 p.m., Oct. 31, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. The museum's events include art heist escape room games, zombie adventure tours, a costume contest, face masking decorating, a photo booth and refreshments. Free.

"The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silkroad Ensemble"7 p.m., Nov. 4, Freeman Auditorium, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. The documentary film follows an ever-changing lineup of performers drawn from the Silkroad Ensemble's more than 50 instrumentalists, vocalists, composers, arrangers, visual artists and storytellers. Free.

Café Laura Theme Dinner: "Dining Through the Pages: Eat Between the Lines" — Nov. 6, Mateer Building, University Park campus. Students in HM 430 Advanced Food Production and Service Management prepare a series of themed dinners throughout the semester to be served in the student-run Cafe Laura restaurant. Reservations required.

"Words of Art"5 p.m., Nov. 7, 3 Dots Downtown, 137 E. Beaver Ave., State College. The Pennsylvania Center for the Book and 3 Dots Downtown will host a reading in the spirit of "Words of Art" — an online collection of audio poems in response to artwork — or ekphrastic poetry — by Nicole Miyashiro. Free.

Café Laura Theme Dinner: "A Trip to the Big Easy: Tour the New Orleans Food Scene" — Oct. 31, Mateer Building, University Park campus. Students in HM 430 Advanced Food Production and Service Management prepare a series of themed dinners throughout the semester to be served in the student-run Cafe Laura restaurant. Reservations required.

 

Lectures

George McMurtry Lecture: "Teaching by Listening" 12:15 p.m., Oct. 31, E202 Westgate Building, University Park campus. Jeff Rimland, assistant teaching professor in the College of Information Sciences and Technology, will discuss the ways that effective teaching can be accomplished by approaching it as a listening-first endeavor instead of one focused primarily on delivery. Free.

Penn State Forum: Lacresha Berry11:30 a.m., Nov. 5, President's Hall, Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center, University Park campus. Lacresha Berry, performing artist and educator, will present "Finding your lane. A crash course on believing in yourself and the work you create."

 

Exhibits

"We Never Left: Artists of the Southeastern Indian Tribes" — Through Nov. 3, HUB Gallery, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. The exhibition focuses on Native American artists who are descendants of the indigenous peoples who survived and continue to thrive in some portion of their Southeastern homelands despite most of their populations being relocated in the 19th century. Free.

"Art at the Center: Transdisciplinary Creativity" — Through Nov. 5, 125 Borland Building, University Park campus. The Borland Project Space will feature a four-week art education residency with lectures, performances and workshops by art education faculty in collaboration with others. Free.

"A Meditation on this Age of Struggle and Strife"  Through Nov. 10, Art Alley, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. A solo exhibit of drawings and sculptures by Art Rudy Shepherd, associate professor of art, that reflects on news from 2017 to current day. Free.

"Augusta Savage: Renaissance Woman" — Through Dec. 8, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. Nearly 80 objects, including sculptures, paintings, works on paper, and archival material highlight this reassessment of Harlem Renaissance artist Augusta Savage. Free.

"Bauhaus Transfers: Albers/Rauschenberg" — Through Dec. 15, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. The museum celebrates the centenary of the Bauhaus, the influential school founded in Weimer, Germany, that unifies fine arts, design and architecture in its curriculum. Free.

"The Web of Life: John Biggers and the Power of Pedagogy" — Through Dec. 15, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. The exhibit spotlights the work of artist John Biggers in relation to two important mentors, artist Charles White and famed art educator Viktor Lowenfeld. Free.

"Fantasy and Reality: The World According to Félix Buhot" — Through Dec. 15, Palmer Museum of Art, University Park campus. The museum spotlights one of the most original French printmakers of the 19th century. Free.

"Folded Section" — Through Jan. 10, 2020, Woskob Family Gallery, 146 S. Allen St., State College. The gallery is displaying an ambitious new wall drawing that explores the local landscape. Free.

"Ghosts" — Through Feb. 2, 2020, HUB-Robeson Galleries, HUB-Robeson Center, University Park campus. An exhibition of works selected from the School of Visual Arts' collection of bisque ware, known as the Bisque Library. Free.

Last Updated October 31, 2019